The subject matter disclosed herein relates to monitoring electric motors and, more particularly to a system and method for mounting sensors within an electric motor for monitoring one or more performance characteristics of the same.
Electric motors are employed in a variety of applications, such as material packaging, metal forming, paper handling, textiles, food processing and so forth. In a typical arrangement, a motor drive sends signals to the electric motor to control operation of the electric motor. Over time, operation of the electric motor results in wear and tear of various components (e.g., bearings, brakes, etc.). Routine maintenance and servicing can generally counteract the effects of wear and tear. However, identifying the root cause of maintenance issues (e.g., performing manual diagnostics) may be difficult and time-consuming, and preventative precautionary replacement or repair of components on a set schedule can be inefficient.
One approach to monitoring motor health has included the use of certain sensors for detecting various conditions indicative of wear and tear or other abnormal operation. Such sensors can include temperature sensors and/or MEMS sensors that are used to monitor for certain vibrations due to, for example, bearing wear and/or shaft imbalance/radial shaft load, brake wear, etc. In the past, one or more MEMS sensors have been provided as standalone components mounted independently to, for example, the motor housing, or within another housing associated with the motor. Such independently mounted MEMS sensors require extra manufacturing steps for mounting and/or wiring.